IRSDC

IRSDC is Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited. It was owned by the Rail Land Development Authority, RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) Limited and Ircon International. All the three companies operate under the Ministry of Railways. The IRSDC was incorporated in 2012. It was shut down in 2021.

About IRSDC

Under the Railways Act, IRSDC had powers to develop stations without seeking approvals from the local authorities. This clause of the act preluded (meaning prevent from happening) all the other existing laws and superseded them. Thus, the provisions of all the other acts were muted. This legal position tested the constitutional scrutiny and validity in several high courts and also in supreme court.

Special Powers of IRSDC

Section 11 of Indian Railways Act provides right to the Indian Railways to erect buildings on their own lands. They need not obtain permission from the municipal or cantonment authorities in the respective areas. This law was the backbone of IRDSC.

Projects

• Anand Vihar Railway Station: the station was redeveloped at a cost of 2 billion rupees.
• Bijwasan Railway Station: It is a station on Delhi-Rewari line of Indian Railways.
• Habibganj railway station
• Chandigarh railway station
• Gwalior railway station
• Shivajinagar railway station
• Surat railway station

Why was IRSDC shut down?

The Railway board transferred the station management under the control of the respective zonal railways. Thus, IRSDC was shut down. The shut down of IRSDC was recommended by the Finance Ministry. The Ministry is in the process of rationalising the government bodies either by closing them or by merging them through multiple organisations under different ministries.